Twilight
by tikinottyki
Summary: Zero and Rui have landed in America to find themselves body guards to a famous broadway actress acting in a musical of forbidden vampire love, but when her life is threatened by the mafia, it's up to Zero and Rui to rise against the danger.
1. Chapter 1

_It's the fourth story! YAY! I'm currently listening to the Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto soundtrack on youtube (epic!!), and typing at the same time. Anyways, if you're into Twilight, I'm sorry because I totally had to rag on it! After seeing Edward Cullen's face in our bathroom (in front of the toilet, I might add) I'm sick and tired of the whole Twilight raveness..._

"Rui, you dumbass, you got us lost again!"

"I'm sorry! This map is so complicated!"

"No it's not! You just don't know how to read it!"

"That's why it's complicated!"

"RUI, DRIVE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD!!!"

The lycan quickly swerved out of the way of oncoming traffic, nearly forcing the car into the wall of the highway. I yelled, bracing myself for collision and closing my eyes tightly. Rui grunted as he managed to get the car back on the road and settled to a stop on the shoulder. We sat in silence for a while, me with my heart still stuck in my throat. Finally, after catching our breaths, I held out my hand, saying through clenched teeth, "Give me the damn map."

"… hai…"

California. I never knew there could be so much… variety in one place. One minute we were driving around the borders of a desert, and next we're on a highway by the ocean. Japan wasn't even like this. "We need to hurry up and get to Los Angeles, or else we'll never show for the job," I stated, pointing to the dot on the map. "Where are we now?"

Rui turned around in his seat, saying, "I think we just left Livermore. That means we're still about five hours out of L.A," he commented.

A vein in my neck twitched. "And why do you think that is?" I asked.

"Why what is?"

"Why we're still five hours out."

"I don't know."

Here's the story: we were supposed to fly in to Los Angeles from Narita Airport, but the Academy Awards put security on high risk at all airports; something about protecting a teenage vampire actor or shit like that. So, Rui thought it would be fun to have a road trip and booked a flight that landed nearly eight hours from our wanted destination.

Eight. Hours.

It was hell. For one, Rui couldn't read a map, and two, I had no experience driving on the right side of the road. Apparently, neither did Rui. Every once in a while, I felt like leaning out the window and hurling. Even worse, Rui had bought energy drinks so he could stay awake for the trip…

Note to self, never give a lycan a can of Rock Star…

There was a sudden tap on my window, and a man wearing a dark suit and glasses stooped to look in the car. He motioned for me to roll down the window. "Yes?" I asked uncertainly.

"Are you Kiryuu Zero?"

"… yes…?"

"I'm Special Agent Jared Blackwatter of the FBI. My boss hired you and your partner," he said in a gruff voice.

"Woah," Rui gasped, "dude, how'd you know where to find us?"

"We tracked your car from the rental service at the airport," came the reply.

Rui was taken aback. "You can do that?!"

"Yes."

I shrugged. "I guess Big Brother really is watching…" I mumbled.

Jared nodded towards a black SUV parked on the shoulder behind us. "I'll give you a ride; someone can take the car back to the airport and drop it off for you."

"Thanks," I said as I climbed out of the car. "Maybe along the way you could tell us about why we've been hired. We know nothing."

The man nodded. "Of course."

We loaded our luggage in the back of the SUV and climbed into the car. Rui bounced lightly on his seat. "Dude, nice seats. Is this leather?" he asked.

"Yes it is, so I wouldn't mind if you stop jumping on it," came the snappy reply.

Rui scowled, leaning over to me and whispering, "I don't like this guy; he's mean."

I shrugged this off, looking to Jared. "So, spill it. Why did we have to fly fourteen hours only to have no one show up at the airport to give us a briefing?"

Jared coughed into his arm. "Eh… there was supposed to be another agent to pick you up, but he got sick; swine flu has been a bitch here in the US," he replied.

"Swine flu?" Rui asked.

"… it's a long story," Jared muttered. "Anyway, there's a touring musical group whose current hit revolves around the vampire realm. It's been a pretty popular show, especially with the underground vampire societies. The lead role, however, has received several threat letters within the start of the tour. Last Thursday, during a performance, someone got passed security and attempted to kill her; her body guard was killed, so she has asked for your protection until the end of the tour. The last performance is in Chicago next month, so you'll receive your pay and be dismissed then."

Rui snickered. "A vampire musical? Please tell me it's not based off that stupid Twilight series."

There was no reply.

"Eh?! So Edward Cullen sings now?!"

I sighed and crossed my arms. "I don't believe this. These amateurs have no idea about real vampires and are in for a rude surprise."

"Yeah, they don't sparkle," Rui growled, staring back at me. "I would laugh if you did, though."

Jared nearly hacked a lung. "What?! Mr. Kiryuu, are you-"

"No, I'm not," I snarled, delivering a punch to Rui's gut. "I'm a vampire hunter, nothing more, nothing less."

In a way, I was telling the truth.

The FBI agent sighed. "The Twilight series was a popular hit in the US and other countries. Naturally, there would be fans raving over a musical," he stated.

Rui smirked. "Well, tell Stefanie Meyer she can suck me! She portrayed that lycan dude totally wrong!"

My eyebrow arched. "Rui, he's a werewolf, not a lycan. There's a difference."

"I of all people should know that," my friend hissed.

That's pretty much how the entire car ride went. The only time Rui was quiet was when he fell asleep leaning against my shoulder and hand fallen in my lap. I was between a rock and a hard place; if I woke up Rui, I'd never hear the end of it, but Jared was probably getting the wrong idea of us. In the end, it didn't matter, because I fell asleep with my head leaning on Rui's.

Damn jet lag…


	2. Chapter 2

"Whoa! This is L.A.?!"

"Yep."

"It's... different from what I expected..."

"What were you expecting?"

"Gold streets and stuff. You know, like from the movies."

"That's Hollywood you're talkin' of."

"Oh. Does it have gold streets?"

"No."

"... I've been lied to..."

I laughed as we piled out of the car. "Rui, you can't trust all movies you see, not even the documentaries."

The lycan sighed, lowering his head. "Damn..." he muttered.

"Have you two eaten since you've arrived?" Jared asked as he pulled two plastic wrapped suits from the back of the SUV.

"No," Rui and I replied in unison.

Jared smiled, saying, "There's a godd burger place not far from here. My treat."

"Really?!" Rui gaped with sparkling eyes. "I've never had a burger before."

"You're not missing out on much," I stated. "They're greasy and fattening. The more you eat, the more likely you are to have a heart attack."

"I guess the burger will have to wait..." Jared muttered. "Come on inside, though I have to warn you, this is high security, so you're going to be searched."

Rui looked to me, a sly grin on his face. "It's not like we're hiding anything; our weapons don't even work on humans," he stated.

"Also..."

We both looked back to Jared as he held up the two suits. My brow arched and Rui's expression turned grim. "Don't tell us..." he began.

"Yep. You're going to have to change; if anything happens, we can't let it out that you are not part of the FBI or Secret Service," Jared replied. "They're ust standard black suits, nothing more and nothing less. You're i.d. badges are in the breast pocket of each. Your old clothes will be transported along with your luggage to the hotel you will be staying at."

We followed the FBI agent into the large building and took a long flight of stairs down into the musky basement. People were everywhere, all dressed in security vests and dark expressions. Rui and I got some strange looks at first, probably because we were foreigners barging in on an American tradition. I didn't blame them. "This way," Jared said as he nodded towards a long corridor.

At the end of the hall was a door with the Roman numeral one stamped on it in black ink. Jared twisted the knob and opened the door to reveal a large dressing room, saying, "Emilia is on stage right now doing the announcements, so you can change in here while she's gone. I'll let her know to knock." Then he nodded and made his way to the crowd of security guards.

Rui smiled and nodded towards the room. "Dude, we're in a dressing room," he said as he strolled in.

I shrugged it off, closing the door behind me. "It's just a room; why get so excited over it?"

"Think of how many famous people have been in here! All the hot actresses who changed into slinky dresses for the after party," my friend replied.

"Really now?" I asked as I removed my hoodie and folded it on a chair. "I'm thinking of all the famous people who changed in here and, well, not really caring about it. Neither should you."

The lycan scoffed as he pulled off his t-shirt and threw it in the corner, roughing up his hair as he did so. "Meh, you wouldn't understand. I've lived long enough to meet some pretty famous people in my lifetime, so knowing their secrets is entertaning for me." He uncovered his suit and hung it on a coat rack. "Man, they got our i.d.'s wrong."

I took mine from the breast pocket of my suit and scowled. According to this, I was Mao Rui, which meant Rui was me. "Leave it to the Americans to fuck things up," I muttered as I pulled off my shoes and socks.

"Hey man, the Americans brought some pretty good stuff to the world," Rui objected.

"Tell me one thing. Screw it, tell me ten."

"Well," Rui began tilting his head back in deep thought (all this as his fingers fumbled with his pant's button and zipper), "there was color cartoons."

"Kimba," I said with a shake of my head. "We had that in the 60's."

Rui scowled. "That's anime, man, not cartoons." Then he paused. "You watched anime?"

I shrugged. "When I was younger, yeah. What of it?"

He shook his head. "Nothing."

Just as he undid his zipper and pulled down his pants, the door suddenly flung open and a young woman with light brown hair stomped in. She stopped when she saw Rui half bent over with his pants at his knees, her blue eyes widening and face blushing. "What are you doing in here?" she asked, turning away from Rui to me. "I didn't hire male strippers."

"EH?!" I backed away, tripping over a chair. "We're not male strippers! Fuck, woman, knock before you walk in!"

Jared soon came running up behind the woman, gasping for breath. "Emilia, I tried to tell you, but you were... too fast..." He kneeled over with his hands on his knees, catching his breath.

Emilia ignored this, pointing to me and Rui. "Jared, tell me who these people are," she demanded.

"They're... your new body guards. I told them to change in here," came the answer.

She huffed, pushing by a half-naked Rui and taking a seat at the makeup counter. She wore a short but elegant black strapless dress with red frills bordering the collar, and her wavy brown hair had been pulled up in a simple bun. Although she acted like quite the American, there was no doubt that she was afraid; no amount of makeup would draw away the fear in her blue eyes.

"They look a little young to be body guards," she muttered to Jared.

"Ma'am, you hired them."

With a sigh, she looked back to me, waving her hand and saying, "Keep getting dressed. I'm in the musical theatre, so I'm used to men walking around in their birthday suits."

I was hesitant at first to oblige, but when it became obvious she wouldn't talk until we finished, I sighed and removed my shirt. "We don't know that much about who's after you, but we're going to try our best to protect over the course of the month," I stated, reaching for the formal white button up shirt and sliding it on.

"So, you believe me when I say that vampires are after me?" she asked.

"Depends," I said with a shrug. "If you tell us everything you know, we might have a better idea of what we're dealing with."

"I... I can't tell you everything now; I have to go on stage in five minutes," she answered, looking to Rui; he was still bent over holding up his pants. "It's not like I'm getting turned on watching strangers change!"

Rui nodded, finally letting his pants drop before jumping into the nice black creased pants provided for us. "I'm usually the one watching people undress..." he muttered under his breath. "Hey, you wouldn't mind telling us who won the next award, right?"

"That's none of our business," I growled, pulling Bloody Rose from my hip and setting it on the table beside me.

Emilia smiled. "A gun... I like men with guns..."

I glared back. "I'm taken," I said coldly.

There was a knock at the door, and a man's voice called, "Miss Delgado! You're on in two!"

"Thanks!" she called back as she stood and reached for a large envelope. She looked back at Rui, a small smile on her face. "Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, best supporting actor." Then she flung the door open and hurridly made her way up a flight of stairs right outside the doorway.

Rui smiled back and elbowed me in the ribs. "Ha, see? She likes us," he stated.

I rolled my eyes. "We aren't here for her to like; we're here to find out what the hell is going on. We're not getting any information, and I don't like it." I looked up to see a t.v. playing the live broadcasting of the Academy Awards. Emilia was walking on stage with some other actor and began the long drawn out announcement. It was so strange to see a genuine smile on her face after she couldn't say anything nice to us not two minutes earlier.

"Isn't that odd," I commented, "that she can pull quite the act on stage even though she knows her life is in danger?"

Rui shrugged. "She's an actress; she's probably been trained to pull faces like that."

I nodded and looked back to my friend, saying, "Well, let's hope she's not pulling an act on us."

"Hey, Zero, we've got a problem," Rui said as his golden eyes suddenly widened.

"What?" I asked, whirling back around to see that he was staring up at the t.v. Some guy was walking on stage, and last I checked, Johnny Depp didn't look like _that. _The man's eyes were bloodshot red, and foam had begun to form at his mouth. "That's... that's a Level E..."


	3. Chapter 3

"Get out of the way! Move it!" I shouted as Rui and I elbowed our way through the narrow halls onto the large stage. A large man put his hand up to stop us, a gruff scowl on his face.

"We've got the situation handled; step down," he said.

Rui looked over the man's shoulder to see a few other security guards surround the Level E. He shook his head as he buttoned up his white shirt. "No. That guy can overpower those guys in mere seconds."

And he did.

Emilia and the other actor had barely made it off stage when the Level E shouted loudly and took a swipe at the guards with long claws. One fell with a gaping wound in his chest, allowing the Level E an opening at Emilia. The actress screamed and fell back as the Level E leapt towards her. Screams and shouts erupted from the audience as they clambered over each other to get out. These actors and actresses, producers and directors, became more like ravaging animals than civilized people. If the world could see this, then these millionaires would lose face to the many who idolized them.

"Shit! I can't get a clear shot!" I shouted, trying to push passed the guard. "Rui! Can you get him?"

"Yeah!" my friend called back as he sped up to the guard, cracking his forehead against the man's before jumping on his shoulders and lunging at the Level E. "You ain't getting' nowhere, creep!"

The Level E gritted his teeth as he grabbed Emilia's wrist and drew her close to him. "You get any closer, she dies!" he yelled, wrenching her head to the side and coming dangerously close to biting her.

There was no way I could get a clear shot now. With Emilia in the way, I couldn't shoot. Bloody Rose could never hurt a human being, but I had no clear shot anyway. I had to leave this up to Rui.

Rui skidded to a halt, holding his hands up and saying, "You're making a mistake. Even if you do try to kill her, we'll get to you before you drain her body. Let her go."

"You don't understand," the Level E rasped as his grip tightened on Emilia. "She has to die! The Boss says she has to die!"

"The Boss?" Rui repeated with a tilt to his head.

The Level E smirked. "Yeah, the Boss. If I don't kill her, I'll end up at the bottom of the ocean! She has to die!" He lowered his head close to Emilia's neck, but suddenly stopped, his eyes widening and blood dripping from his lips.

Emilia's eyes sparked as she drew a bloodied dagger from the Level E's gut. "Touch me again, and I won't be as forgiving as these guys."

The vampire released herm, backing away and nearly stumbling over the stage. "You… bitch…" he growled as he clutched his bleeding stomach.

Now was my chance. I quickly cocked Bloody Rose and aimed it at the Level E. "This Boss… who is he?" I asked through clenched teeth.

He jeered back, "Like I'd tell you, bastard."

The gunshot rang loudly in the hall as the vampire fell back with a hole in his head. Within mere seconds, he had dissipated into a pile of dust. I looked back to Emilia, who had backed away from the remnants of the vampire. "You were expecting something different, right?" I asked as I put Bloody Rose away.

Instead of getting an answer, Emilia angrily stomped towards me and brought her hand against my face in a hard slap. "You idiots! You're my body guards! You shouldn't have let me get captured! I could have been killed!" she shouted.

I rubbed the stinging from my face, glaring back at her and saying, "Well, if you had dismissed that giant of a security guard, we would have gotten here faster. Don't blame us for not getting here in time."

Emilia's icy stare was resilient. "I'll give you one more chance, but if something like this happens again, I'll make sure you return home without pay, got it?"

Rui cautiously strode up beside me. "Emilia, you can't yell at us for doing our job; you're unharmed and the Level E is dead, so let it go," he muttered.

"Miss Delgado! You address me by 'Emilia' again, I'll do to you what I did to that prick!" she shouted before turning to Jared and stating, "get them out of my sight." She turned quickly on her heel, pushing her way off the stage and down into the hallway.

Jared bit his lip as he came to us. "Look, I know you tried to get here as fast as you could; you aren't at fault for anything," he stated.

Rui shook his head. "Nah, it's okay. First day on the job," he said with a shrug. Then he turned to me, his golden eyes widening. "Zero, your cheek is really red."

"That bitch…" I muttered. She dealt me a good one; never before had I been hit so hard by a girl, and I had a feeling it wouldn't be the last. I was sure this would bruise in the morning.


	4. Chapter 4

The day ended badly, yes. But it would only get worse. On our way to the hotel, my phone started ringing. I was startled when I saw the caller i.d.:

Kaname.

"Moshi moshi?" I answered.

"… you forgot to call me when you landed…"

_Shit._

"Look, I'm sorry… I've had a rough day," I replied, scooting away from Rui and looking out the window. "How are you doing?"

Kaname sighed. "Well, it's weird knowing you aren't a five minute drive away, or else I would come visit you right now. The baby's… the baby has had me up all night."

"What is Yuuki doing about it?"

"Nothing."

I grimaced and pressed the phone closer to my ear. "Sorry to hear that," I said.

This was so awkward. We were so used to talking face to face that it seemed unusual to talk on the phone with Kaname. I didn't have much to say; other than failing in the eyes of our new employer, nothing much had happened. And I'm sure nothing much had happened with Kaname, either.

"When do you think you'll be home?"

"Don't know; I know we're here until the end of next month, but that's it. If anything else comes up, I'll let you know."

"Thanks. Hey, Zero?"

"Yeah?"

"… I miss you…"

"… I miss you, too."

I could hear the baby wailing in the background now. Kaname groaned as he said, "I… I have to go…"

"Oh… okay. I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah."

The phone line went dead. With a heavy sigh, I flipped my phone shut and shoved it back in my pocket. Rui leaned over to me, asking, "You okay?"

"Yeah; I just miss home," I replied slowly.

Jared looked back to us in the rear view mirror. "Who'd you leave behind? Girlfriend? Sister?"

"His boyfriend," Rui stated bluntly.

"Hey, we're not dating! We're really good friends!" I said in shock.

Rui's narrowed his eyes and looked away. "Yeah, friend with benefits…" he muttered.

Jared coughed lightly, saying, "Well, either way, I understand you missing home. My family lives on the east coast; I haven't seen them in almost a year."

"A year?" Rui asked breathlessly. "How can you go on for that long?"

"They call me; sometimes they even Skype me so I can see my daughter. Here," he paused to hand back a small picture. "That's my little Jessica. She's almost three."

"Aw, she's cute," Rui commented as he took the picture. "Zero, look at this."

Kids… every time I thought of one, I thought back to Yuuki's new baby and how much his existence screwed me and Kaname over. I just felt a whole hell of a lot worse than I did before. "Which hotel are we staying at?" I asked instead.

"The Marriot. I wish we could have gotten you two a better room, since everything is so last minute. Emilia will be staying there, too, though on a different floor." Then he looked down, uttering, "Look, I know tonight hasn't quite gone the way we all… expected, but sleep on it and tomorrow will be better. Don't worry about Emilia, either. Just do what you two do best and it will all end up fine."

I lowered my head and gazed out the window. "Yeah… fine…"

It was the worst night of my life; not only did we almost fail a job, but I was without Kaname there to comfort me. If all my nights in America were going to be like this, I would rather be dead than here…


	5. Chapter 5

_Hi everyone! So, I was supposed to be working on college essays, and instead I posted up three new chapters. Ain't that something? Well, after trying to work on 7 (that's right, 7!) essays, my brain started hurting, so I watched(and finished) Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto (long name, I know) and typed this story. Yeah, four hours of my life…_

"You can't be fucking serious!"

"I'm sorry, sir, but it's the room you signed up for."

"We didn't sign up for a room! The FBI did! Why the hell did they sign us up for a _single _room?!"

"Your name is on the list for that room."

"I don't care! Change it!"

"I can't; that's the last room available."

"There's one bed! There's no way in hell I'm sleeping with _him!"_

Rui glared back at me. "Oh, so you're saying you'll only sleep with Kaname and not me?" he sneered jokingly.

"Yes!"

He seemed taken aback. "I didn't actually think you were going to have a come back to that…" he muttered. "Anyways, I wouldn't even consider sleeping in a bed with you. I like women."

My fists unclenched as I thought the situation over, my violet eyes closing in deep thought. There had to be a way to solve this; there was no way in hell either of us would sleep on the floor after a fourteen hour flight, and we certainly were not going to share the bed. "Emilia is in the same hotel, right?" I asked.

"Yeah… and…?"

"How about this: since we're supposed to be watching out for her, we take turns watching her room. I take the first four hours and you get the second four hours. Deal?"

The lycan shrugged. "I guess. I'm difficult to wake up, so punch me or something."

o.O_TIME BREAK!_o.O

So that's how it happened. I sat for four hours at Emilia's door, listening for anything suspicious. The hours passed slowly to the point of annoying. Jet lag had finally begun to take its toll on me, and I was falling asleep fast. Still, I managed to keep myself awake, whether it be by singing songs in my head or counting the tiles on the ceiling. Once, a drunken couple passed by around two in the morning, which gave me something to laugh at. Four hours had finally passed and nothing out of the ordinary happened. With a heavy grunt, I stood and slowly stumbled towards my room.

"Rui… your turn…" I mumbled, tossing my suit to the corner in exchange for a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt.

The guy didn't even move; save for a light groan, there was no response whatsoever. I figured if I pushed him off the bed he would wake up. I was so tired, I couldn't even see straight, and his lazy ass was keeping me from my sleep. I leaned over him, nearly shoving him off the bed. "Wake up; I'm tired," I mumbled.

At first, I thought he had woken up because he suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me down on the bed; however, I noticed his eyes were closed. He was still dreaming.

"Rui, this isn't funny," I growled as he slid his cold hand under my shirt and moved his way up my stomach and chest.

"Just… like that…" he moaned into my ear before flicking it with his tongue.

I nervously bucked against him, wrenching my wrist from his grasp and pushing him. "Rui, no cool man-aahh…" A gasp slipped from my lips as Rui's moist tongue trailed up my neck.

"I wanna hear you say my name. Scream it," he whispered before slipping his tongue in my mouth and grinding his hips against mine.

"Rui!" I hissed as I pulled away. "You're asleep!"

"Are you rejecting me, Candy?" Rui asked breathlessly.

Candy was the last girl he was with, an exotic danger at a local club. I'm guessing he was dreaming of her, but he was going to be in for a big surprise when he woke up.

Fangs pressed against my neck as Rui forcefully sucked at my skin, drawing a shocked gasp from me. For a minute, I thought I was seeing stars. Rui was more forward and forceful than Kaname; the difference was like black and white. For Kaname, sex was like a game that started slowly and ended with a grand finale. For Rui, however, it was like he was hungry and desperate.

But I belonged to Kaname, not Rui. Luckily, it all end when Rui ran his hand down my flat stomach to my hips and reached below the strap to my sweat pants. I pushed back a moan as his cold fingers wrapped around my length and paused.

"You… aren't Candy, are you?" Rui suddenly asked.

"… no, I'm not…"

His golden eyes opened only to see me beneath him, my shirt half off and his hand down my pants. At first, he looked shocked, but this soon died away. If anything, he looked hurt. Slowly, he drew his hand away and sat on the side of the bed, his head low. We didn't speak for a long while as we got over the initial shock of the whole event.

I lay there staring up at the ceiling, my chest rising and falling uneasily. "Rui…" I whispered after a while.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, "I was seeing you as someone else…" Then he stood, covering his face with his hand and turning away. "I'm going to check up on Emilia."

"O-okay."

"I… I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No…"

"Good," he mumbled. "I wouldn't forgive myself if I did."

He left, closing the door softly behind him. I rolled over in the sheets to face the window. The pillow smelled like Rui, and the bed was still warm from where he slept. For the longest time, I tried to close my eyes and sleep, tried to erase Rui's scent, but I couldn't.


	6. Chapter 6

_I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while! I've been REALLY busy with college applications and such… yeah… I used a poem in here that is not my own work, but rather I found it on the internet. I do not own it, it just seemed to fit well with my story line. So, do not credit me with this work._

"Mornin'."

I rolled over in the bed, pulling the sheets closer to my face and pressing my ear against the pillow. "… Morning…" I mumbled.

"How'd you sleep?"

"I didn't."

The bed shifted as Rui leaned against it; I could feel heat rising in my face. "Was it… because of what I did?" he asked gently.

"No," I lied. "I just couldn't get to sleep."

Rui chuckled lightly as he pushed my shoulder. "You're a horrible liar, you know?" he asked. "You forget that I can sense stuff like that."

He leaned over me, pulling the sheets away from my face. I glared up to him, my vision blurry from want of sleep. "What do you want?" I asked, annoyed.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?"

My throat tightened at his question. His voice sounded strained, hurt. I had never heard him sound like that before. "No, you didn't hurt me," I replied honestly, turning away to stare at the window. "Just… surprised me, that's all."

The lycan sighed as he stood, tossing aside his black tank top. "Do you mind if I take the first shower?" he asked.

"… go ahead…"

I heard the door close and the water turn on in the bathroom. With a tired groan, I rolled back over and stared up at the ceiling, trying to force myself awake. I wanted to go back to sleep so badly; this jet lag was going to be a bitch to get used to. Finally, I forced myself up out of bed and stumbled towards my suitcase. It hurt to bend down; my knees popped and my back muscles tightened as I leaned down to pick out my clothes. "Oh, fuck it," I muttered, falling back on my tired ass and sifting through my clothes.

"Hey Zero, wanna hand me a towel? The maid must have forgotten to put one in here."

Rui's voice was a distant memory in my foggy mind. Next I knew, I felt something warm fall on my cheek and roll down my face. I opened my eyes and looked up to see Rui leaning over me, dripping wet from the shower. "Wha…?"

"You fell asleep," he replied as he adjusted the towel around his waist. "You can go back to sleep for today; I'll take care of Emilia."

"Tch… I don't trust you alone with a famous actress," I half joked, half muttered, as I sat up and rubbed my head.

Rui scoffed as he turned away and knelt down at his suit case. "I won't do anything; I know I joke about being a womanizer and stuff, but in truth…"

He paused as he pulled out a shirt and pants from the suitcase, leaving me in wonder. "In truth… what?" I asked.

"I'm bi."

My heart stopped. "You're bi?" I questioned. "I didn't know that."

"Yeah, I am," he said, turning back to me with a wide grin. "Which means you're totally vulnerable!"

"I'm taken," I growled, whirling back towards my suitcase and forcing my eyes down. I would never look at him the same way again. Though, I was being hypocritical… "When… when did you like guys?"

Before Rui could answer, the hotel room phone started ringing. I moaned, standing and moving for the phone. "I got it…" I mumbled.

What I didn't realize was that Rui had started moving for the phone, too. Thanks to my groggy vision and 'out of it' mind, we ran into each other and fell to the floor just before the bedside table. Rui's still wet body nearly crushed me to the floor while I reached out for something to keep us from falling; turned out I grabbed his hair, which only shoved his face into my chest. His knee tucked up a little too close for comfort by my crotch, so I couldn't help but start blushing. We probably laid like that for a minute while the phone still rang on and on.

"Man…" Rui muttered against my chest, "afs sfoon afs you found out I wafs bi, you freally took the initiative…"

"Shut up!" I shouted, shoving his half naked self off me and reaching up for the phone. "Moshi moshi?"

"Um… what does that mean?"

"Oh, Jared. Hi," I muttered, sitting up and bringing the phone closer to my ear. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," the FBI agent replied. "Emilia is awake and is now willing to talk about what's been going on. As soon as you and Rui get ready, she can meet you in the lobby."

"Why not in her room?" I asked. "If other people see or hear us, they might get suspicious."

Jared sighed. "I don't know. I think she just wants the breakfast buffet." He paused for a short while, probably thinking it over. "Now that you mention it, I'll ask her if we can move to a different location. I don't think she will cooperate, though. She's kinda… stubborn."

"Tell me about it," I said with a roll to my eyes. "We'll be down soon."

I hung up the phone and glared back at Rui, who had an innocent grin on his face. "Yo?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Don't ever do shit like that again," I said, standing up and brushing the water droplets from my sweatpants. "You can kill a person like that."

"Or get in their pants, either way," Rui joked.

"Tch… get dressed…"

"Good morning, Zero, Rui. How did you sleep?"

"Wonderfully!" Rui stated with a stretch.

I growled and looked off in the distance. "Fine, I guess…" I mumbled as I plopped on the couch and kicked my legs up on the coffee table.

Emilia glanced down to my feet, a disapproving look on her face. "Do your people sit like that in your country?" she asked.

_Tch… she was already pissing me off, and it wasn't even nine in the morning yet…_

My brow furrowed. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

"Huh… until you're older than me, don't tell me what the hell to do or think; what we do in my country is none of your business."

She glared back, shooting icy daggers from her eyes. "Fine. I'll reduce your pay by half, then," she jeered back.

_Shit… I needed the money just to fly back when this is all done and over with…_

With a disgruntled sigh, I removed my feet from the table and leaned forward instead, resting my elbows on my knees. "Okay, now that we're here, would you mind telling us what the hell has been happening? Why are you being targeted?"

Emilia lowered her head, a serious expression on her face; I think this was the first time she truly thought things through. "It started last week," she began with a heavy sigh. "We were having a dress rehearsal for public viewing, and it went really well. When I got to my dressing room, though, there were all these… letters…"

She shifted to reach in her back pocket and handed me a crumpled paper. The paper was so thin, so delicate; I thought it was going to rip apart as I unfolded the crinkles and read through the messy ink writing. "This…"

_Come to me, little mortal  
I can bring you to heaven's portal  
There'll be no sorrow, there'll be no pain  
Feelings of joy will fill your brain_

Come to me, sweet human thing  
Give me your heart and I'll make it sing  
Forget your fears, leave them behind  
Forget the troubles of your kind

Come to me... yes, that's right  
Now hold still, it's no good to fight  
I'll take your blood, and leave you dying  
Didn't you realise I could be lying?

"It scared the shit out of me," Emilia muttered. "I showed it to the cops, but they said that it was probably some freaky stalker or an angry fan and didn't pay much attention to it."

Rui looked over my shoulder at the writing, his eyes widening with shock. "Damn…" he rasped. "I would be scared shitless too if I saw that."

"After that, someone tried to jump on stage during the actual performance and kill me. My old body guard… Bryan, he was killed." Then Emilia leaned forward, clamping down on her knees with white knuckled fingers. "What could this all mean? I've looked over it over and over again, and this is the only one that made sense to me. Who is trying to kill me?"

I sighed and leaned back in the chair, tossing the letter on the table. "I don't know… let me make a call."

Emilia looked down to her feet, her teeth bare. "Honestly… I'm tired of pretending to be strong. I just want to break down sometimes and cry. I can't help it that I was cast to play Bella in the musical; do you think someone is upset about that?"

"No…" I muttered as I stood and reached for my phone. "This is a different matter entirely."


	7. Chapter 7

_So, I'm totally procrastinating from writing a book report that's due tomorrow ^^ The book was stupid and poorly written, and I have to talk about what can be learned about revolutions from it. I wrote this instead! I had fun looking up Japanese hair pictures! Yumm, Japanese men are delicious :3_

Kaname didn't answer my first call, nor the second. I began to worry at first, but when he finally picked up the phone on the third try, I realized I had made a major error. "Kaname? Are you okay? You didn't answer the phone, so I began to worry."

"… I was eating dinner with my family…"

My brow furrowed as I looked down to my watch. "At nine in the morning?"

"Zero… there's more than a few hours difference between us."

_Shit… I completely forgot about that…_

"Sorry… should I call at a later time?"

"No; honestly you saved me from having to take care of that kid," came the reply.

"Oh, okay," I breathed. "I was wondering if you have any information on my case here."

Kaname was silent for a while; maybe he was leaving the dining room or something. "Sorry, I didn't want Yuuki listening in," he said breathlessly. "Go on."

I slumped back in the chair in our hotel room, looking up to the ceiling. "Do you know anything about a vampire called 'Boss'?"

"… I'm surprised you don't know about him," came Kaname's nostalgic reply. "He's a rather popular figure, even here."

My eyes widened; if I had not heard of this 'Boss' character, I wondered if the rest of the Association had not heard of him. "Huh… tell me something I don't know," I said seriously, leaning back on the edge of the hotel bed and placing the phone receiver on my lap.

"The 'Boss'… you've met him before. He's been to a few of my dinner parties," Kaname said, "though… you wouldn't recognize him. His appearance changes very regularly."

I raised my eyebrow, a sarcastic remark escaping me: "I'm surprised you've allowed a criminal in your home, Kaname. Shame."

"A criminal?"

"Yeah; it looks like he's threatening Emilia Delgado, big death threats. We took care of one of his employees last night."

"Hmm… that doesn't seem like him… but people can change."

"Change? What do you mean?" I asked.

"This man… no one really knows what he's thinking, and if he's putting up a front like this, I don't want you on the case."

"Why?" I questioned, shocked at his reply.

"Because," came the hesitant response, "he runs the mafia."

"… a mafia boss?"

"Yeah," Kaname muttered.

"Do you mean like 'The Godfather' mafia or something?" I asked.

"Worse."

My brow furrowed. "Huh? Can someone really be worse than 'The Godfather'?"

Kaname sighed hopelessly. "Zero-kun, you're glossing over important details. The mafia you're thinking of is from the mid-1900's. I'm talking about _today's _mafia. Their present-day technology and secret services put the original mafia lifestyle to shame. These men are not classy, either; they're not afraid to…" He paused, the final words of his sentence fading away. "I don't want you to get too involved in this; if you dig too deep, it will mean serious consequences for you."

"I have a job to do, Kaname," I stated in return. "I need more information on these people if I'm going to be able to do my job right."

Kaname went silent again, an overwhelming silence. I could imagine the look on his face, the worried crease to his brow and tightening of the lips. His response was weak, a rasp that startled me:

"I can't help you anymore."

My eyed widened. "What?! Why?" I blurted.

"Zero-kun, I have a family now. If I get involved, I will be targeted. The mafia is relentless when it comes to silencing their enemies."

"But… the Boss! You know him! Besides, you're royalty! He couldn't-"

"Zero!"

I didn't respond; after helping me through several of my cases, he was now shutting me down? "K-kaname… are you still angry with me? From before?"

That's right. It had only been a few days ago that I really pissed him off. Even though he and I made up, could he still be harboring hurtful feelings towards me?

"You're mistaken, Zero-kun… I'm not angry with you, but I do worry about your safety. And although I am royalty… so is Boss."

"So… it wouldn't matter?"

"… no, it wouldn't…"

The phone clicked as Kaname ended our conversation. I roughed up my hair and tossed the phone away, falling back onto the bed and staring up to the ceiling. "Shit… just what I need…" I muttered to myself.

"You okay?"

I looked towards the door to see Rui walking in. Something seemed… different about him. "Dude… what did you do to your hair?"

Rui stopped, a puzzled look on his face. "Oh, this?" he asked, tossing his head from side to side. "Emilia said I didn't look Asian enough, so she got one of her personal hairdressers to fix my hair."

"Rui… you look like someone from an anime."

It was true. His bangs formed perfect spikes before his face, and his hair formed layers in the back. Most of his hair was pushed over in a side part, with two long side bangs falling in front of his ears. Oh, and I couldn't miss the fact that some of his black hair had been dyed, oh, red.

"Really?" he asked, looking in a mirror and running his fingers through his hair. "I think it looks pretty cool."

"You look like L from Death Note," I commented.

"Yeah, but I don't sit on my ass all day and eat candy, now, do I?" he retorted back.

"You know about Death Note in China?"

He shrugged. "It was banned in China; murders came up with people pretending to be 'Kira'." He stopped when he saw me lying back on the bed with my face partly hidden under my arm. "You okay?"

"No," I replied, rolling over on my side. "I'm tired, my coworker looks like L, and Kaname is being unreasonable."

"Unreasonable? How?"

"… he won't help on the case…"

"Por que?" Rui asked jokingly, plopping down on the bed.

"We're apparently dealing with the mafia, and if he gets involved, he could be targeted and-"

"That's not unreasonable."

"Don't agree with him!"

Rui shook his head (funny how his hair didn't even move with as much hairspray was in it). "I understand. I've dealt with the Chinese mafia before, and, let me tell ya, it wasn't fun."

I closed my eyes and sighed. "I guess… I became too dependent on him…" I whispered. "I'm so weak…"

"Dude, you hunt vampires as a hobby and think nothing of it," Rui stated. "You're not weak; you're… using your assets well."

"… reword that…"

Rui rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean! You brought Kaname and yourself closer together by asking him help. I'm sure that he loves nothing more than to help you, and it must be tearing him up inside that this one time, he can't do anything. Relax a bit."

"I need a break from Kaname," I said, as much as it pained me for those words to flow from my mouth. "I need to learn to be independent again."

Rui's golden eyes closed as he turned away. "Yeah, a break from him would do you good… as well as me…"

My brow furrowed. "What?"

"Nothing," Rui said in a low tone as he stood. "I'll start looking in on this mafia business."

"Not yet," I stated. "We can't get too involved now."

The lycan turned back to face me, a pained expression on his face. "I hate to break it to you, but the moment we took this job, we _were _too involved. We just didn't know it."

After he left, somehow I felt that his words had a double meaning. I just didn't know what.


	8. Chapter 8

_Well, it's the beginning of what several have been asking for: RuixZero action! ^^ Thanks for supporting my OC so much; I really had no idea he was loved. Anyways, thank God that I didn't have a class until 10, because I got to finish a chapter! Woot! Currently listening to "Time Warp" from Rocky Horror Picture Show. RHPS FTW!!!!_

"The mafia?"

I nodded. "Yes; I'm sorry, but we have been advised to get too involved," I replied.

Emilia's brow arched and her lower lip stuck out in a pout. "Why the hell would the mafia be after me? I have no connections with them," she replied. "I sing and dance on stage, not participate in illegal and secret affairs."

Rui shrugged. "We'll still guard you until these death threats cease, but we can't go digging for information regarding this Boss dude," he stated.

"… I hired you two to do my bidding."

"You hired us to protect you, and that's exactly what we are doing," I corrected.

Emilia frowned and turned away. "Fine, do whatever the hell you want. I have a show tonight, so I need to get ready. See you after the performance."

She stormed off, her fists balled up at her sides and her heels clicking hard on the marble floor. Jared winced as he removed his glasses and cleaned them on his jacket. "She took that pretty hard," he commented.

"Well, she'll have to get used to it," I replied, folding my arms before my chest. "If we had all of the Hunters Association here, we might have a chance against this Boss, but since it's only Rui and me… we're hopeless."

Jared nodded. "I understand. I'll see what I can do. For now, relax and enjoy L.A. for a bit before the show."

He left me and Rui alone in the hotel lobby. Huh… enjoy L.A.? I knew there was a lot we could do here, but nothing really came to mind. Besides, I didn't feel like going out to do something. After that tense conversation with Kaname and the harshness from Emilia, I felt like going up to the room and sleeping. I yawned and stretched, popping my back. "I'm gonna take a nap," I said to Rui. "What're you gonna do?"

"Dunno," he shrugged. "I was actually thinking about taking a nap, too." He then turned to me, a questioning look in his golden eyes. "Do you mind… if we take a nap together? No homo?"

I narrowed my eyes and studied his face. He looked innocent enough; either that, or he was a good actor. "Fine," I replied with a huff, "but if you try to pull anything, I'll drain you of every drop of blood you have."

A smile formed on Rui's face. "Ooh, sounds kinky," he said, flashing a fanged grin.

It took me forever just to fall asleep. My mind kept running through the phone conversation over and over again, and it was killing me inside. The thought that Kaname was pulling away… I couldn't bear it. I finally rolled over to my side facing away from Rui (who had fallen asleep in the hotel chair) and closed my eyes. But my dreams were like nightmares; they weren't scary, or anything like that. But… the thought of losing Kaname, the visions of him fading away was like I was dead to him, and vice versa.

"K… kaname…"

I could see his face in my mind, my dreams. He looked… hurt. Just seeing the pained expression on his face made me hurt inside, and I didn't want that anymore. His soft fingers felt so real on my cheek as he wiped away a warm tear. "Zero-kun," his voice echoed. "It's okay."

"Kaname… I love you, and yet… I feel as if we're drawing apart…"

"It has to be this way," he replied softly. "In the end, it will be alright."

"Don't leave me," I rasped, taking his hand and pressing it closer to my cheek. "Don't leave me like this."

But already, he was drawing away from me. His eyes closed as he lowered his head and muttered, "It will be alright."

My heart almost stopped. "Kaname, don't leave me alone!"

"Zero."

"Please…"

"Zero?"

"What?"

"Zero!"

I shot up and yelled, pulling at my silver hair and breathing heavily. Rui leaned back, a strange look in his eyes. "Zero… are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

"No…" I muttered, catching my breath and touching my face where I had felt Kaname's hand before. "I… I have no idea what the hell is going on."

"You've been acting strange ever since we got here," Rui stated as he drew a little closer. "Look, I know things are tense between you and Kaname-sama, but let it go. You need to relax."

"But," I retorted, "I love him. I feel as if he abandoned me."

Rui patted me softly on the head. "He hasn't abandoned you. He may be thousands of miles away, and he may not be helping with this case, but he still is here for you." His voice hitched a little at the end of his sentence and he quickly turned away. Then he turned to face me again, his eyes lowered and glossy. "I know this whole thing is hard to grasp, and I know… I… Do you mind… if I comfort you?"

My heart jumped. "What?" I gasped.

I had barely whispered this when Rui leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine. At first, I pulled away, thinking about how wrong this was, but when Rui's tongue slipped into my mouth and caressed my own, all thought was lost. I had to admit, the guy had talent of tongue. When he began to push me back, however, I pushed him back and gasped, "We… shouldn't be doing this… We've only been away from home for a few days, and I still love him."

Rui smiled and cocked his head to the side. "You said yourself you should take a break from Kaname, didn't you?"

Using my own words against me, now? Huh… but he did have a point. "Fine," I said, closing my eyes and falling back against the pillows. "Just out of curiosity… how long have you been wanting to do this?"

"… a while... it was a pain holding myself back for a year."

"I'm sorry."

"Good. You should be."


	9. Chapter 9

_So, umm… it's not much of a smut scene, but my mind can't grasp reality right now. I woke up at 1:30 this morning, and desperately wanted to post a chapter (and not type up notes for class… shh). Then while I was typing I got an idea for the latter part of the story, so I'm switching things up a bit starting with this chapter. My brain… must… ……._

The room began to darken as the sun started its descent. I never thought in a million years I would be in this position, lying helpless under Rui's lean body, my arms restrained as the lycan pulled up my shirt and tangle my wrists in the cloth. Though the heat between our bodies began to rise, I shivered as his thumb rubbed back and forth across my nipple. "Feel good?" Rui breathed before lightly biting my collar bone.

I felt my face go red with embarrassment; I was getting aroused so quickly, despite the amount of times I've done this. When I closed my eyes and buried the side of my face into the pillow, I only had one thing on my mind besides sex: Kaname. An immediate pang of guilt struck at my chest. "N-no… we shouldn't be doing this…"

"No? And why's that?"

"I… I feel guilty going back on Kaname like this…"

Rui leaned down, his lips mere inches from mine, a sly grin on his face as black and red hair fell before golden eyes. "Who says Kaname has to know?" he asked, placing his fingertips on my lips. "It will be our little secret."

"What? _Kaname _doesn't have to know _what_? Did something happen between you two that I shouldn't know about?"

I paused in my story, regretting even telling my interactions with Rui this far. "Well, you really weren't, but… damn, why'd you get me drunk?!"

Kaname leaned back on the couch and smiled. "You got yourself drunk, if I remember correctly."

My face felt burning hot as my cheeks turned red. Hiding my blushing face, I muttered, "Do… do you want me to go on?"

"I'll be punishing you later for any sin you committed while we were separated anyway, so might as well spit it all out," Kaname replied before taking a sip of saké. "Besides, things are getting interesting."

"Eh?! Kaname, you pervert!"

"I'm not a pervert; I get a kick watching you blush about your own words," he said in a relaxed tone. "Go on, I want to find out what happens next."

I sighed, scratching the back of my head. "Well, nothing much; you see, things _did _get interesting, just not in the way you were thinking of."

I flinched as Rui lightly nibbled along my neck, his fangs awakening a feeling I knew all too well. "I've always wondered," Rui whispered in my ear, "why you allow someone to ride you when you have so much confidence in yourself."

A scowl formed on my face. "Baka… I'm lazy, and I don't want to do the work," I replied.

"I'm sure," Rui said sarcastically as his fingers ghosted over my ivory skin and came to rest on my hips. "However, you're not what I would call the lazy type; you look more like the type who would beg for more and scream." As he said this, I felt his fingers reach down below my boxers and lightly squeeze my erect cock. "Let's test this hypothesis."

I bit down on my bottom lip as his hand began to move in a rhythmic up and down motion, causing my entire body to shake uncontrollably. "Gawd…" I gasped, trying to hold back a moan. "Rui, you really… aaare a bastard… nhh…"

Rui smiled. "That's all? Do I need to force a scream out of you?"

"Rui… the people next door… they'll hear…"

"Let them hear; your screams will be worth them listening to."

His other hand quickly moved to tear off my pants and boxers, tossing them off to the side as if they were nuisances to him. Now I was completely at his mercy. I covered my face as his fingers relentlessly pumped me faster and harder, the gasps coming from my lips short and raspy. I did nearly scream when I felt two slick fingers push their way inside me; no matter how many times Kaname had been inside me, it was still a feeling I would never get used to.

"Rui… it… it hurts!" I winced as his fingers pushed deeper inside. "A-aahh…"

"Relax," Rui whispered gently. "I promise I won't hurt you."

I held my breath as his digits slowly pulled out halfway and pushed back in, spreading and scissoring the tight muscles. For a second, I completely forgot about Kaname and let my mind wonder about other things Rui's fingers could do. It had been a while since I had had sex, and I finally realized that I had begun craving the attention and the hot, wet feeling I always got.

Rui was right: who said Kaname ever had to know?

"I can't believe you."

I blinked twice. "What?! You told me to continue, so I did! If you didn't want to find out what happened next, you shouldn't have asked me!" I stated.

Kaname shook his head. "Why'd you do it?"

"We didn't; we were interrupted right after that."

"Really?"

"Yep… let me skip ahead a little…"

"Zero! Rui! It's me, Jared! Emilia's been taken!"

Rui and I both froze when Jared's voice echoed in our room and his fist pounded on the door. The lycan scowled and looked away. "I'm beginning to not like that guy…" he muttered as he withdrew his fingers and reached for my pants. "Here, I'll get the door while you get dressed."

I nodded quickly and vanished into the bathroom just before Rui opened the door and let Jared in. With a sigh, I leaned back on the counter and stared at the ceiling. Although nothing much had happened, I couldn't help but have mixed emotions about it all. For one, I let Rui tell me to forget about my lover, and secondly, I told myself to forget him. I couldn't forgive myself, nor could I imagine Kaname _ever _forgiving me. The whole situation sucked.

"What do you mean she's gone?! She was at a rehearsal with plenty of witnesses; anyone could have seen something suspicious."

I opened the bathroom door to see Jared shake his head impatiently. "She's gone. The truth is she never showed up to rehearsal; we just now got the news that she was gone."

Rui's brow raised. "A group of actors can't dial 9-1-1? It's been over two hours since the rehearsal started, so someone should have noticed sooner," he stated objectively. "What are they, stupid?"

"Sometimes I wonder," I muttered to myself.

Jared handed Rui a sealed envelope, saying, "They did find this, though."

Rui took the envelope, turning it this way and that when he paused and turned to me. "Zero… it's addressed to you…"


	10. Chapter 10

"To me?" I asked warily before taking the envelope. "How would they know my name?"

Jared shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe Emilia told her captors who she hired as body guards."

Rui shook his head. "Nah. She doesn't care enough about us to learn our names," he stated.

"I… I have to agree with you on that," the FBI agent mumbled under his breath.

The lycan looked back to me, his brow furrowing at the scowl forming on my face. "Zero?" he asked in a worried tone.

"I wonder," I began slowly, "if Emilia was the target to begin with."

Both men were shocked at my suggestion. "What?! Emilia is a world famous broadway actor who does small productions like the Twilight musical during her spare time! She has connections that you couldn't possibly imagine-"

"By connections, you mean fellow broadway stars, musical theatre directors and producers, along with a few rich and horny boyfriends?" I asked with a raised brow and wrinkled nose. "Besides, she said she never dealt with the mafia before, so why would they be after her?"

Rui's golden eyes widened as he began to catch on to my train of thought. "Zero… you can't mean…"

I closed my eyes and lowered my head. "Emilia was not the target; she was the bait used to get me and Rui here under the assumption that she was going to be killed. That poem… those Level E's… all of that was an act to draw us out."

"And if the letter's addressed to you, then that means…" Jared muttered as he finally connected the dots.

"You're the target," Rui breathed. "It makes sense; you're as famous as Emilia is in the vampire world. Your name alone is enough to strike fear in the hearts of nobles! You're-"

"Do I need a cape and super hero name to go with that as well? Rui, it's not a big deal," I said coolly.

Rui seemed taken aback. "I know, but still! You're in danger, and we've all fallen for their trap!"

"No, right now Emilia Delgado is in danger."

Jared nodded impatiently. "Maybe her location is given in the letter. Whatever you decide to do next, I'll support you in any way possible," he said.

I timidly opened the letter, tossing the envelope to the side and unfolding the pristine paper. "Damn, it's been typed… we won't be able to I.D. who wrote it," I muttered before reading on:

Mr. Kiryuu Zero:

It appears we are at an impasse. I have something you were hired to protect, and you have something I want. Miss Delgado is safe, but if you do not abide by the following rules, she will end p at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

Deliver the ransom payment of $2 million at the Metro Gold Line parking lot by midnight. Do not involve the policeIn clear sight, you will place your anti-vampire weapon on the ground. Announce loud and clear that you are the murderer of Shizuka Hio. Then we will release Miss Delgado to you, and you are free to leave.

I look forward to meeting you.

Best Regards,

Boss

"That prick!" I shouted, tearing the paper in half and throwing the pieces to the ground. "I fuckin' hate vampire bastards like him!"

Rui glanced over to me. "I feel ya," he murmured.

Jared knelt down, taking the pieces of torn paper and putting them together. "It looks like a clean handover, though I don't understand the last part. Who's this Shizuka person?"

"She…" I choked, placing my hand over the mark on my neck, "she's the one who made me what I am today. It's a settled matter, though, because I didn't kill her."

The FBI agent sighed deeply, looking down at his watch. "Could you please tell them once by admitting it? Emilia doesn't have a lot of time left, and we still have no plan."

Rui raised his hand nervously. "I have an idea. Do the Americans still use a SWAT team?"

"… yeah…?"

Rui grinned, an arch to his brow. "I've got a plan."

"Are you ready to do this?"

"Yeah; what makes you think I wouldn't be ready?"

Rui shrugged as he pulled the car to a stop and killed the engine. "I know you're ready to do this, I think I said that just to put myself at ease," he replied.

I furrowed my brow, confused at his words. "Eh? Why are you so concerned about me all of a sudden?" I asked. He turned back towards me, his eyes lowered as if in shame. "Rui?"

"Ever since I met you a year ago in that interrogation room, you've been everything to me; you've given me a home, food… companionship. I never got that from anyone in my family, let alone the people I once called friends. If I lose you to this stupid game they're playing… I don't know what I'm going to do with myself."

Those words… I had never heard anything more beautiful or meaningful come from his lips before. Had I really had such an impact on him? "Rui," I whispered.

He blushed, looking away and stammering, "Get out of the damn car; we have a shitty damsel in distress that won't shut up if we don't get her back."

I smiled, patting Rui's shoulder. "I'll be fine," I said as I stepped out of the car and dragged the heavy briefcase from the back seat.

"I'll be circling around the block, so I'll know if you need anything. Don't forget the signal for Jared if anything goes wrong."

"I got it," I said coolly before slamming the door shut and starting my long walk to the parking lot. Save for a few cars, the lot was empty. With a sigh, I leaned against one of the cars and waited for someone to show; it was getting close to midnight, and I wasn't about to waste my time if no one was going to show. After a while, I saw a figure coming towards me, a tall man wearing a pristine black suit. His graying hair was slicked back and pale blue eyes peered out coldly to me. He smiled crookedly when he saw me.

"I see you got the letter," he stated in a raspy tone.

I looked around, asking, "Are you the only one they sent, or is this an act, too?"

"You catch on quick," the man said as he stuff his hands in his pockets. "Exactly what I would expect from a Kiryuu."

My eyes narrowed. "I got your damn money," I hissed, lifting up the briefcase.

The man stared at it for a while, a sly look on his face. "How do I know that it's a trap and not the ransom payment?" he questioned, glancing back to me.

"Why don't you come over and see for yourself?" I asked, taking Bloody Rose out from the inside of my jacket and gently setting it on the ground. "See? I followed step two, just to make it easier for you to trust me."

"You're a vampire like me, and I know not to trust vampire scum such as yourself. Open the case yourself and show me the money," he sneered.

With a disgruntled smirk, I opened the case and tossed a stack of bills at him. "There, it's as authentic as you'll ever get it. Two million, right? It's all here. Now hand the girl over."

"Ah, ah, ah," the man said with a wave of a finger. "You seem to be forgetting step three."

I smiled, shrugging my shoulders. "I'm sorry, I guess I didn't read it."

The man laughed. "That's quite all right; you see that car over there?" he asked, pointing to a car in the far corner of the lot. I turned to see Emilia locked inside, duct tape over her mouth and hands tied to the steering wheel. She was crying. "If you don't comply with step three, that car will end up twenty feet in the air in flames, and your actress will be nothing more than charred black flesh and bones. It _is _your choice, though."

I bared my fangs, controlling my shaking arms as I held my fists back. "You bastard…"

"You have three seconds to confess; did you, or did you not kill Shizuka Hio?"

"… I killed her… with the beast she implanted in me, I ripped her apart and fed like there was no tomorrow. I. Killed. Shizuka Hio."

"Did you now?"

"Yeah, I did."

The guy erupted in laughter. I snarled, shouting, "What the fuck are you laughing at?! I told you that I killed her, so give the girl back, damn it!"

He smirked, tilting his head. "I know you didn't. I just wanted to see how weak you were, and how easily you would say those words although you despise them so. Kiryuu Zero… you are a weak man."

The ear piece Jared had given me suddenly began to crackle as Rui joined on the frequency. "Zero, get out of there! Jared's men found a sniper, and it looks like there's more. Get out now!"

"I told you not to get the police involved, didn't I? Pity you didn't follow the rules. It was a fun game, though."

I felt as if a hole had been torn through my side as I heard the sniper pull the trigger. I gulped back a cry of pain, my eyes wide as my spine felt as if it was bending and cracking in several places and my lungs were exploding. Falling forward on my knees, I watched with a blank expression as the man coolly turned and walked away. My voice gurgled as my words were lost in a puddle of blood. The sound of Emilia's screams echoed in my ears as she pounded on the car window with her head and shoulder.

"ZERO!"

I had never seen Rui run as fast as he did now. His arms flailed as he jumped over the stairs at the end of the lot and his feet pounded into the pavement. I felt myself begin to fall backwards before strong arms caught me. Golden eyes gazed in fear at my own, his breaths coming in deep gulps. "Hey man, don't leave me alone like this! We're gonna take care of ya!" he exhaled hoarsely. Then he looked down to my wound, his already wide eyes widening further. "Dear God…" he gasped.

"Rui… I can't feel my arm…" I managed to rasp. When I saw him look over past me, I turned my head to see parts of my bloodied arm and side strewn out on the pavement. I gave a hopeless whimper. "M-my arm…"

"Rui! Zero! We heard a shot go off! What happened?!" Jared came to a sudden stop when he saw the damage, a sickening color coming to his face. "Oh my God…" he rasped, turning away to keep from vomiting.

My breaths quickened as I lost more blood. The monster inside me wasn't about to die quite yet. Although I felt so much pain, I also felt so alive. Rui raised his head, his golden eyes reflecting the red glare that filmed over my violet orbs. "Zero? What's happening to you?" he asked in a shaking voice.

"Blood…"

"What?"

"Rui… I need blood… Now!"

My one good hand tightly grasped Rui's shirt collar as I pulled myself up. He looked so frightened as he hesitantly pushed me away. "No, I can't! Zero, you can't have my blood; it might kill you!"

"I… don't care…" I said breathlessly. The tattoo on the side of my neck began to burn with an intensity I'd yet to experience, but I couldn't hold back any longer. "Please… I need to feed…"

Jared came up quickly behind Rui, gun pointed at me. "You," he hissed, "you're one of them! You're a demon! A monster!"

Rui quickly glanced back to the raging FBI agent, waving his hand impatiently. "No, don't shoot! Zero is a hunter, not a monster! Put your gun away! NOW!" Then he turned to me, moving thick black and red hair to reveal his smooth, tan skin. "It is said that a vampire who drinks the blood of a lycan will either die or never again thirst for blood like an animal. Either way, the beast inside you will go silent."

My eyes widened as he craned his head to the side, exposing his neck further to me. "I'm… I'm so sorry, Rui…" I whispered before sinking my fangs into his neck and drinking the sweet blood that oozed from the wound. How long had it been since I tasted real blood? I took the blood tablets for so long that this taste seemed so new and fresh to me. After tonight, I would never return to those damn tablets.

Jared watched in shock, his gun slowly falling from his sweaty fingers. "Oh my God," he muttered, backing away, "his body… it's regenerating…"

Before long, I began to feel the right side of my body again; pulling away and licking the remaining blood from my lips and chin, I looked down to see my wound had sealed, and my right hand now rested gently on the ground. Rui chuckled nervously, wiping away the perspiration that had built on his now pale face. "Heh… it worked…" he said hoarsely.

"Yeah, I… guess… it did…" I groaned before falling back in Rui's arms unconscious.

"Zero! Hey, wake up! ZERO!"


	11. Chapter 12

_Well, it's a new chapter! Yay! I still have a lot of crap to do, but I managed to write this and part of the next chapter. Sorry everything seems so disjointed! I might go through and edit later! Enjoy!_

"Stay here with him, and no matter who tries to get in here, you are to shoot unless they have the code."

"Yeah, I got it. Be careful out there."

My eyes flickered open to darkness; at first, I couldn't tell if I really had woken up or I had gone blind. I blinked twice, trying to compose myself, but when I still couldn't see, I began to panic. "Rui… why can't I see?" I asked shakily.

Two golden orbs turned to me, a slight spark behind them. "You're awake!" he said softly. "How do you feel?"

"Like a big ass bullet ripped off my arm."

Rui sighed. "You didn't have to put it so bluntly," he replied. "As to your seeing problem, Jared and the SWAT team are conducting a raid and left us behind in one of the vans; it's just hella dark."

"A raid?"

"Yeah; they think they tracked down the bastards who did this to you."

I tried to push myself up to a sitting position, but my right arm was too weak to hold out under my weight. Rui caught me about the waist before I facepalmed to the ground. "Damn…" I murmured as my friend leaned me against the side of the van.

"Don't push yourself too hard. As quick as that regeneration was, your arm will be useless for a few more hours," the lycan explained.

Clenching my teeth in frustration, I looked away and asked, "How's Emilia? Is she safe?"

"She's fine," Rui answered after a long moment of silence. "Jared took her to a local hospital shortly after you passed out."

The muscles in my face contracted as I cocked my brow. "Taken to a hospital? For what? She wasn't hurt."

"… Zero, the girl saw your whole right side get blown off and watched your blood splatter over half the parking lot. Anyone would be in a hospital after seeing something like that," came the blunt reply.

I lowered my head and nodded, tightly clutching my sore right shoulder. "Yeah… I guess…" Then I looked back towards Rui, asking, "I didn't hurt _you_, did I?"

Rui quickly covered up the fang impressions on his neck. "Nah, I'm fine. I've been bit before, so I've gotten used to the feel of it," he said.

"Oh," I muttered.

We sat like that in silence, listening to the sounds of the night outside the van. My head was still swimming from the night's events, and I had a bad feeling rising in my gut about even coming to America. Not only was I far from the Vampire Hunter's Association, but I was out of contact with Kaname, and the vampire mafia wanted my head. Was I just nervous about this whole thing? Or was I truly fearing for my life?

"Hey," I started hesitantly, "you heard the whole thing earlier, right?"

Rui nodded. "Yeah, saw everything, too," he replied.

"What should we do about the job? Now that we know the mafia isn't after Emilia, we'll only be more of a danger if we stay here."

"Yeah," Rui agreed, "but I don't think we can Jared involved if we leave. He'll make us stay."

"Why?"

"He knows, Zero. He knows what you really are. The whole reason he had me stay with you here is because he thinks you might be a threat to other humans out there."

My eyes widened. "Me? A threat? I'm the farthest thing from that!"

"I know, but he doesn't know you like I do." The van went silent again as Rui looked down to his watch and sighed. "They're takin' a long time," he muttered.

"The raid?"

"Yeah… they left about half an hour ago, and then Jared and his group went as back up about fifteen minutes ago."

I shrugged. "Maybe they're having issues killing the bastards, considering none of their weapons are anti-vampire weapons."

"Maybe."

Rui paused, his head raised attentively and lips drawn together tightly as if he were listening for something. His pointed ears twitched when voices could be heard faintly through the walls of the van. "What's going on?" I whispered.

"Sh… this is strange. We parked in a restricted area; no one should be here," he breathed. Then his eyes went wide as he shouted, "Get down!"

Before I knew it, Rui had thrown his body over me, flattening me against the floor as bullets riddled the van. I felt Rui's muscles tense up a few times, and his golden eyes clenched shut with pain. The loud shots ended almost as soon as they had started, and within seconds, the back door was nearly ripped off the van. There, standing in the dark night, was a monster of a man. His darkened eyes were narrow and squinty. Thick, burly arms hung from wide shoulders, and his clenched fingers nearly crumbled the van wall.

"Kiryuu… Zero…" he growled. "You're coming with me."

Rui painstakingly stood, picking up Bloody rose from where it had fallen. "You bastard; shoot at us again, and you'll be the one with holes," he said, baring his fangs. Blood ran down his arm from a bullet wound, but he seemed desensitized to it.

The man drew in a deep breath, a hungry spark coming to his eyes. "You're the lycan, aren't you?" he asked gravely. "I will never forget the smell of your blood."

I attempted to stand, but was still too weak. "Rui, this isn't your fight; give me the gun. When my friend didn't respond, I looked up to him from the corner of my eye. I saw far. The gun shook in his trembling hand, and his face had gone sheet white. I could almost hear his heart beat pounding fast in my ears. "Rui…"

"I remember your face; it's been a while, but I remember you. You gave me this." Here he raised his shirt to reveal three long scars across his stomach. "You were a lot bigger then, and harrier, too."

Rui pulled the trigger, the bullet ricocheting off the side of the van. "Get out," he growled, baring pearly white fangs.

"You afraid of me now? Is it because you can transform in so tight a space? Or are you remembering what I did to your family?"

"GET OUT!" Rui screamed as he drew back his arm and made for a swinging blow with Bloody Rose. The man leapt forward, pushing me to the side as his palm engulfed Rui's face. They both went crashing into the wall, a pained yell coming from Rui. Bloody Rose fell from Rui's grasp and landed a few feet before me, but no matter how far I reached, it seemed like it teased me, being too far.

"ZERO!"

I stared blankly as the man forced his forearm against Rui's chest and buried thick fangs into the muscular flesh of Rui's neck. A bloodcurdling cry escaped my friend's throat as he threw his head back and gasped for air as the monster sucked the life from him. Falling forward, I crawled towards where Bloody Rose lay, taking the cold gun in my clammy hand and aiming the barrel at the vampire. Another shot rang out, and a biting pain erupted in my hand as a bullet tore through my palm. With a yell, I clamped my bloodied fist into my other hand, trying to stop the blood flow.

"Na-ah, Zero. I can't have you interfering while Aaron feeds; he might turn on you next."

I whirled around to see this new person, only to be left speechless with shock and horror.

"E-emilia?"


	12. Chapter 13

_A short chapter, but it ended at a better part than I had originally planned! Well, now I can write more! Just got done with a major paper and recording for colleges; now I only have 3 essays to write! (Don't worry, I'm almost done) _

Emilia glared down at me, a disdainful smirk darkening her face. "Now, you needn't look so surprised," she stated, shifting her weight on one leg.

"But… you were kidnapped and hospitalized!" I blurted. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

She was silent, the only sound reverberation in my ears being Rui's blood being drained from his body. My hand hung lifeless at my side, blood pooling around the gaping wound in my palm. Everything seemed to be happening so slowly; even my breaths and movements were strained. Then Rui's breathless gasp brought time back to reality.

"Z… zer…o…"

"Drop him, Aaron; he's of no importance to us now."

Aaron pulled away, letting Rui crumble at his feet. Blood streamed from the two gaping holes in his neck, staining the ends of his hair and shirt collar. His golden eyes, once so full of life, looked dull; his face was a sickly white… like the dead.

"Rui," I muttered, reaching out for him, but he didn't reach for me. He was much too weak for that. Instead, his eyes stared blankly back at mine, brimming with tears.

"Z… zero… Don't leave… me…"

Emilia immediately stepped between us, a gun pointed at my face. "Aw… how touching…" Then she turned back to her accomplice. "Aaron," she hissed, "we should have left a long time ago."

"Yes, you're Majesty." Taking a sack from his coat pocket, the vampire stuffed it over my head and tied my hands tightly behind me before throwing me over his shoulder.

"No!" I shouted, kicking the man as hard as my weak body would allow. "No! R-rui! RUI!"

My friend didn't answer my cries; in fact, no one heard me. Next I knew, I was thrown into a car and handcuffed to the back of the seat. With a slam of the door, all sounds and sights were turned to black.


	13. Chapter 14

_It's a-me! Another chapter! Woot! I've really been kickin' these things out fast! Yesh! *does happy dance* Currently listening to the VK soundtrack (amazingness in a can, btw!) If you haven't listened to the OSTs, they're on Youtube._

"Sit him there," Emilia's voice sounded.

I was thrown into a chair and the sack ripped from my head. Blinding light shone brightly in my eyes, making everything go white. When I looked away to avoid the light, strong hand forced my head back.

"So… this is the famous vampire killer, Kiryuu Zero," Emilia began as she sat before me and brushed back her now black hair. "I'm a little disappointed; I never thought it would be this simple to hold you hostage. Isn't that right, boys?"

My vision cleared as the room brightened to reveal a whole gang of vampires strewn about the room. Wide grins and smirks spread on their faces, and a few even brandished weapons. I recognized a few of the members, one of whom was the man I had met in the parking lot earlier that night. I glared back at Emilia with cold eyes, baring my fangs. "You set us up," I growled.

Emilia shrugged, glancing off to the side. "Maybe," she replied. "It took long enough for you to figure it out, though."

"What do you mean?"

She grinned, pulling the chair closer to her and resting her hands on my legs; a few of the members gave whoops and hollers. "You see, it was all a game, only my patience ran out before the real fun could begin. So, I had to… speed things up a bit."

My teeth bared as I began to piece the puzzle together. "You changed everything at the rehearsal," I muttered.

The woman laughed. "Hey, boys, he got it! The famous… Kiryuu Zero finally figured out everything, haven't you?" Her blue eyes stared back at mine, searching for any hint of fear. When she felt she couldn't find any, she continued, "My loyal followers and I met at every 'rehearsal' to plan this whole game out. It's a good thing Jared was never allowed in, or else he would have found out everything."

"… you're not the real Emilia Delgado, are you?"

Her eyes blinked twice, almost in surprise, but she recovered quickly, saying, "Correct. The real Emilia Delgado died of an overdose a year ago. All I had to do was take over her identity long enough for everyone to believe I was the real thing. Jared was assigned to protect me when my security guards were killed by another mafia gang, so he had no reason to suspect that I was the Boss. As for faking you and your friend out, well… that was too easy."

My upper lip curled up in a snicker. "You sent that letter to yourself and then had one of your buddies deliver the note to Jared. You bitch."

"Yes, I am."

The other vampires howled with laughter, showing off their fangs. Emilia shot an icy glare to them, and sudden silence followed shortly afterwards. Though she was the only woman in the group, it was clear to me who was the leader. She had them all captivated by a strange sense of fear.

Save for me.

Closing my eyes, I turned away and muttered, "Well, you got me. Now what? What do you want from me?"

With a sly grin on her pale face, Emilia leaned forward, pressing her fingers harder into my legs and bringing her lips to my ear. I tried backing away, but the back of the chair kept me from doing so. Hot breath ghosted over my neck and ear as Emilia whispered, "I want you… dead."

My eyes went wide. Under normal circumstances, I would have put a bullet in her head, but my hands were tied and my gun taken. Above all else, however, no one knew where I was, let alone me. I gulped back the fear rising in my chest and throat.

_Dammit… she got me…_

Emilia's blue eyes stared back into mine, a satisfied glow behind them. "However, it would be such a waste to kill you so soon. The fear in your eyes is so… thrilling."

I looked away, saying, "I'd rather die now than satisfy your need for fear."

"Oh? Then you obviously have no idea what you're in for," Emilia replied. She stood, pushing the chair away as she moved behind me. "Do you see all those men?" she asked, setting her hands on my shoulders. "They know all about your favorite… obsession. Show him, Aaron."

The man nodded, pulling a file from the inside of his jacket and tossing it on the table. My heart skipped a few beats when Emilia flipped open the file and revealed photos of me and Kaname. Many were close-ups of my face when I was about to lose control of myself; others were taken in such a way that everyone could see every angle of mine and Kaname's bodies. A few of the men laughed thickly and exchanged humorous glances. I felt my face go red with anger and embarrassment as Emilia nonchalantly took in hand a few photos, whistling. "I have to hand it to you, Zero, you have one hell of a lifestyle. How many positions are in this shot?"

"Where the _fuck _did you get those?" I growled, baring my teeth.

"I have my sources," Emilia answered as she tossed the pictures to her followers.

"… what do you want to know…?" I asked gravely, lowering my head.

"Good choice of words, Zero. I know you are… very connected with the Kuran family. I also know you know that many royal families would love to get a hold of the fortune that comes with the name. Alas, had Kaname and his wench of a sister Yuuki no lived, _I_ would have been the heir to the Kuran name and fortune. And you… you kept getting in the way! Killing my spies and hoarding the Kuran secrets for yourself. Now, if you would be so kind, tell me everything you know, and maybe your death won't be so humiliating and painful."

I couldn't help but laugh. "If you wanted all of Kaname's secrets, why didn't you just ask him? You are an esteemed ranked pureblood; he would have answered you."

"… if you won't tell me what I want to know, all these photos will be for the world to see, thus ruining the Kiryuu and the Kuran family names for generations to come. Do you want to know how many families would attack Kaname once they learn he was busy screwing a hunter instead of providing an heir?"

I hesitantly glanced at the photos, my brow wrinkling as I tried to think my way of this. Either way, I was going to end up dead and Kaname was sure to lose everything. Emilia wasn't providing me with much. Finally, I looked up to her, saying, "Do what you want to me, but you won't get what you want."

"… I was afraid it was going to be like this," she sighed after a long pause. "You're going to have a hell of a long night." Then turning to her band of loyal subjects, she said, "Well boys, he's all yours. The first to make him wail like he does in these photos will be in for a nice surprise from me."

Then she left, Aaron close behind her. My entire body shook with rage to the point that even the chair shook. "Emilia! You bitch! When I get out of this chair, I'm gonna blow your fucking head off and shove up your tight ass! EMILIA!"

"Hey. No one talks to Her Majesty like that, especially a hunter."

I whirled back around to see the men begin advancing towards me, sinister expressions darkening their faces. One vampire strode up close beside me, studying me. "Well, we can't do much while he's sittin'…" he mumbled, looking around the room. He smiled when he found what he was looking for. "Hey boys, uncuff him; I have an idea."


	14. Chapter 15

_Yay, another chapter! I don't know if you actually read the top part of the chapters, but I DID IT!! I'm DONE with college applications! (YAY!) More time to write!!! So, I'm sorry for Rui getting a hold of my lap top a few days ago; I don't know what he was thinking..._

Next I knew, my hands were free and I was being dragged by my hair across the floor. I gritted my teeth against the pain, clawing and kicking at the many hands that reached for me. With a determined growl, I flipped over on my stomach and swiped the legs out from underneath the vampire who had hold of me, making him release his grasp. Immediately, strong hands and shoes landed on my back and sides as the vampires yelled and cursed at me. One foot struck across my face, forcing my head to whiplash to the right and scrape my cheek across the concrete floor. Blood oozed from my nose and my ribs felt like they were cracking under each hit. But I didn't care.

I wouldn't let these losers get to me.

"Back up, back up!" a vampire yelled as he threw his fellow mafia members out of the way. "Remember what the Boss said? We're not gonna make him wail if we beat the shit outta him." Then he turned to me, a grin on his face. "Roll over and make it easier for yourself."

"… Like hell I will," I hissed, pushing myself up and forcing my legs tighter together.

The group erupted with laughter as they all flocked around me, each clawing at some piece of clothing. A loud rip sounded in my ears as the front of my shirt was torn off and cast aside, and a few desperate hands fumbled with my belt buckle. "NO!" I yelled, kicking out and flooring one of the vampires. My legs were then pinned to the ground as my belt was successfully pulled off. With wide eyes and snarling fangs, I pulled myself forward and delivered a crushing blow with my fist to another vampire. As he fell back, though, I saw that he had a gun strapped to his waist. If only I could get a hold of it, I would be able to get myself out of this mess, but before I could reach out for the gun, I was pushed back and the handcuffs were locked around my wrists once again.

_Shit… I'm gonna get raped…_

"Jose, isn't there a video recorder in the closet?" one vampire yelled.

Jose nodded. "Yeah, man, I'll get it set up," he replied in a thick Spanish accent.

The first vampire leaned down closer to my bloodied face, saying, "We'll take it nice and slow, one at a time until you talk, and if you say nothin' at the end of it all, we'll put a bullet right here." He paused to tap my forehead with a cold finger. "Once we're all done here, and you're six feet under, we'll send your precious Kaname an early birthday present."

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Jose appeared with a video camera and set up the tripod. He gave a satisfied huff, grunting, "Okay, chicos, it's locked and loaded."

In a final attempt to free myself, I jolted and sent my body into a seizure-like tremor that even shook the vampires holding me down. The vampires all whooped and hollered with excitement as the second in command played with my pant's zipper. "I like it when they struggle," he growled. "I love the spark of fear that lights up their eyes."

I gulped back a cry, closing my eyes and pushing my head back. This was it. I had let Emilia win, and now I was in for the most painful and humiliating hours of my life. If I hadn't been so blind… if I had seen through Emilia's twisted mind… if Rui were here… none of this would be happening. And yet it was.

_Kaname… please forgive me…_

"L.A.P.D.! GET THE FUCK DOWN!"

Next I knew, the door at the end of the room was torn off its hinges as heavily armed police men stampeded into the room. The vampires yelled and scrambled away, fumbling for their weapons, but they were no match for the shower of bullets that rained on them. I ducked out of the line of fire, crawling towards a fallen gun and fumbling to get a good grip on it (my hands were still handcuffed). Finally, I managed to pull the trigger and make a few hits of my own. A few of the police had broken their line, knocking back a few of the survivors and shoving the barrels of their guns into the vampires' faces.

Everything happened so fast; my head swam with the sound of gun shots and shouts that I didn't even notice Jared come up beside me and shake me to my senses.

"Kid, you okay?" he asked breathlessly, kneeling beside me.

My eyes were wide with shock. "H-how the hell did you find me?" I gasped.

"We traced Emilia's phone," came the reply. "Come on, you hit anywhere? Shit… you're a bloody mess."

I stood, wiping the blood from my nose and lips with the back of my arm. "I'm fine. How's Rui? Is he okay?"

"He's fine; we found him in the back of the van and rushed him to the hospital. He's getting a blood transfusion now." Jared paused as he noticed my ripped shirt and my belt lying on the ground. "Uh… your zipper's down."

I looked down to see that he was, in fact, right. With a scowl, I pulled the zipper up and cocked my brow. "Nothing happened," I stated in a gruff tone.

Jared nodded hesitantly, eyeing the video camera's blinking red light. "Yeah… you're glad we showed up when we did."

"Hey, Jared, whaddya make of this?" a masked S.W.A.T. member asked, holding up a bullet torn photo. My eyes went wide and I quickly tore the photo from him.

"None of your damn business!" I snapped. Then spinning on my heel, I asked, "Have you found Emilia yet?"

Jared shook his head. "No, we checked the rest of the building, and there wasn't a soul in sight."

_Dammitt… she got away…_

"Well, where else could she have gone?" I asked. "I have to pay that bitch back for what she did to me and Rui."

Jared nodded. "I understand. Come on, I think I know where she might be headed."

"That's good… you, uh, wanna get these things off me?" I asked, holding out my still cuffed hands.

"Do I look like I have the key?" came the retort.

"… shit…"


	15. Chapter 17

_GOMEN! I haven't updated in a while, and I'm so sorry! I've been working on four stories at once, juggling college auditions (4 done, btw; 5 more to go!), and a new semester, but I'm back! So, I don't really like this chapter; too much happens in so little time, but I want to wrap this story up for the smut scene at the end (7 pages, front and back… written… that's almost 15 pages of smut!) Anyway, true story near the end of the story; I came mere inches away from dumping popcorn on stupid people. I just wanted to watch Sherlock Holmes… __L _

"Long time no see."

I glanced up to see Rui leaning in the window of the car, a smug grin on his face; around his neck was a layer of bandages hiding the pair of bite marks, but other than that, he look relatively fine. "Glad to see that you're so upbeat," I replied as I opened the door and scooted over.

"Damn, those nurses were _fine,"_ my friend stated. "If I ever come close to death again, make sure to take me to this hospital."

My brow rose. "Rui, there's no need since we'll be going home."

"We're going home?" he asked in a shocked tone.

"Yeah; our case is done."

"So… Emilia is dead?"

I bit my lower lip; Jared hadn't told him? "No, she got away. But hey, at least we don't have to look after that twit," I stated jokingly.

Rui nodded, lowering his head. "Yeah… I guess…"

He didn't seem right; to me, it felt as if he was hiding something from me and couldn't get up the courage to tell me. "Hey, man, what's up?"

"Ah, nothin'," the lycan answered, rolling his shoulders and glancing towards me. "I'm still a little tired from the attack last night…"

"… I see…" I muttered, looking back to see if there was any oncoming traffic. "Jared wants us to meet him at his office for a quick meeting, and then we'll be off to the airport."

"You wanna get home that badly?"

I stared back at Rui from the corner of my eye. "Of course I want to get home! I have a job to do, I miss my apartment-"

"What about Kaname?"

My breath caught in my throat. It was stupid of me to ever forget him, but somehow I did. However, as I thought about it, I realized he never called me; he kinda just left me out to dry on this mission… which really pissed me off. "I'll call him when we get on the plane," I sighed.

"You still mad at him?"

"Mad? No… just irked… I never in a million years would have thought that he wouldn't help me with this."

"Maybe… maybe Kaname-kun is telling you that you can't fully depend on him," Rui suggested with a shrug. "It's just a thought."

I remained silent, thinking over Rui's words, tossing them back and forth in my mind. He did have a point, but I would never figure out the answer until I saw Kaname again. "Who knows," I said with a shake of my head. "For now, let's just get out of this damn country…"

o.O

"What do you mean we can't go home?" I fumed, sitting on the edge of my chair and slamming my fist on the wood desk.

Jared lowered his head, adjusting his square framed reading glasses. "Due to the fact that Emilia is involved in several federal cases, the FBI has been keeping close tabs on everyone she interacts with. Plus, we have yet to find her, so your lives would be more at risk unless you remain here under our protection."

I scowled, leaning back in my chair with a defeatist expression and resting my chin in my palm. "How long do we have to stay in America?" I asked in a strained tone.

"Until Emilia has been found and her mob disbanded."

My eyes widened in disbelief. "That will take years!" I exclaimed. "The prisoners from the raid won't dare talk, and Emilia would be an idiot if she showed her face after what happened."

"If it will be of any consolidation, Emilia's coworker Aaron was found dead in the street yesterday; he looked like he had suffocated at first, but when the M.E. took a closer look, it turned out the guy was poisoned by something. So, at least that's one step closer to the end."

"Zero, it'll be fine," Rui stated calmly, softly patting my shoulder. "Think about it; it would be a nice change of pace."

I rolled my eyes, shrugging away from Rui's touch. "Fine," I murmured.

"You'll both be given new passports, driver's licenses, and cell phones. We're also looking into a few apartments close to the police station so we can check up on you occasionally," Jared stated as he rummaged through the papers on his desk.

"Wait, is this some kind of witness protection program?" I asked.

"Yes, that's exactly what it is," the police officer stated bluntly.

With a heavy sigh, I looked back to Rui, who shrugged. "Well… I heard L.A. has some cool stuff to do."

Jared stood, handing me a map of the city and a small piece of paper with a phone number written on it. "For now, stay close and don't get into trouble. I'll call you as soon as a place has been set up. If anything happens, call me on this number."

With an angry huff, I grabbed the map and paper, spinning on my heel and lightly punching Rui in the shoulder. "Come on," I mumbled. "Let's go see a movie or something…"

o.O

So that's how we ended up at the movies, sitting near the back of the theatre while people filed in and claimed seats. I angrily stuffed my hand in the popcorn, popping the overly buttered and salted kernels into my mouth and chewing roughly. Rui leaned over in his seat, stealing a sip from my drink. "Some week, huh?" he asked casually.

"I don't wanna talk…"

His golden eyes narrowed sadly. "Look, Zero," he started hesitantly, "I know this week didn't turn out the way you wanted it to, but we're just gonna have to deal with it. Jared and the L.A.P.D. are doing the best they can. Think about it this way: we can both take a break from hunting vampires and just… live."

I glared at him, my brows creased and eyes cold. "Unlike you, I have someone waiting at home for me. Don't try to brush this off as a light subject. Plus, both of us almost fuckin' died on this trip; do you wanna risk that again just by walking the streets?"

Rui looked hurt by my words, his lips drawing back as he bit his lower lip. I could immediately feel the tension that had built up between us almost like an electric shock. For a few seconds, I didn't look at him or apologize. Was there really the need for me to do so?

"Zero," Rui said shakily, his eyes lowered, "I know you want to get back to Kaname; I understand. Although I know I have no one waiting for me in Japan, there's a reason: I made a resolution long ago… that I would never fall in love again. Know why?"

I shook my head.

"The one person whom I would give my life for ended up dying by my own hands. If I had not existed, he would still be here… waiting…"

I winced; how should I know this would hurt him that much? He never told me anything about his past, and whenever I asked about personal experiences, he would grow quiet and act like I never asked the question. Of course, the one time I snap angrily at him, I end up wounding him the most. I hated situations like this. "I'm sorry… what was his name?"

"It's not important," Rui muttered. "Let's just watch the movie."

Before I could ask any more questions, the theatre turned black as the movie began to play on the wide screen before us. For nearly an hour, I couldn't focus on the movie, but instead wondered what could be going through Rui's mind. I didn't mean to hurt him… honestly, I didn't really mean what I said. Of course there were people waiting for him as well as me, but I guess it didn't matter; he had no one there whom he loved.

My thoughts were interrupted when a large group of girls started talking and gossiping loudly during the movie (Sherlock Holmes, by the way); they were just a bunch of twelve year old twits. When they wouldn't be quiet, I leaned forward and said, "Hey, shut up while the movie's on."

They glared back at me, pouty looks on their overly made-up faces. "We _weren't_ talking," one girl fumed before huffily turning back to her friends. Another girl squinted her eyes, saying, "You have weird hair; just how old a_re_ you?"

I pushed back my silver hair, leaning to Rui and growling, "Stupid Americans… I'm gonna kill them…"

Rui naturally didn't say anything; he was still upset at me. A while later, however, the girls let out an uproarious laugh as the theatre shook with explosions from the movie. One even commented how Watson looked stupid when he tried to jump from the cloud of fire. Rui, on the other hand, didn't find it humorous at all. Without a word, he wrenched the popcorn from my hands and promptly dumped the contents on the girls. "I didn't fuckin' pay to listen to your mouths runnin', and I'm already in a pissy mood. Shut the fuck up or leave," he hissed.

"My clothes! They're ruined!" one girl shouted. "I'm calling the police!"

"Try it, bitch," Rui growled as he pulled out his hunter's badge. "I _am_ the fuckin' police."

His threat didn't matter anyway. A few seconds after the girls left, my phone went off. "Moshi moshi?" I whispered, ducking down and plugging my ears so I could hear better.

"Um… hello?"

"Oh, hey Jared."

"Where are you two?"

"The movies just across the street from the station."

"Good. We've got a place set up. I can drive you there, or I'll send you the address and you can find it yourselves."

"I'm sure we can find it," I stated, looking back to Rui.

"Okay. See you later, then."

"Hey, Rui," I whispered while putting my phone away, "that was Jared. They have a place ready for us."

"Sure," he replied softly, pushing himself up and walking down the steep stairs. "The movie's been ruined for me anyway."


	16. Chapter 18

_This is a short chapter, but it wraps up the trip to the U.S. and answers many questions. I didn't like this chapter at all, though… :P_

We found ourselves standing in our new home, an apartment about two blocks from the police station. It was already furnished with a few chairs, a coffee table, dining area, and even the bedrooms had been set up. Outside on the back patio was a nice view of the L.A. Tokyo Town, so at least it felt a little closer to home. Sitting on the coffee table were two new cell phones with instructions from Jared, a list of rules of what we could and couldn't do under the witness protection program.

"We can't call anyone from home," I sighed as I scanned over the papers. "We're pretty much cut off from Japan completely."

No calls to or from Kaname… I couldn't even email him, send letters… anything! According to the list, we had to completely start life with a clean slate; even Rui couldn't make contact with his bar buddies. So, until Emilia was found, Rui and I were stuck together…

"So, which bedroom do you want?" I asked.

"There's only one; the other's an office."

I furrowed my brow, glancing back in the room. "There's a futon," I stated bluntly.

"I'm not sleeping on a futon," Rui replied.

I sighed, roughing up my hair and leaning against the kitchen counter. This guy wouldn't talk for more than a sentence or two to me, and it was only frustrating me more. I had to draw a line somewhere. "Look, Rui, I'm sorry about what I said in the theatre. I shouldn't have snapped, and I feel bad for doing so."

Rui looked somewhat surprised at my apology, his golden eyes wide and lips parted slightly. "I'm not mad at you," he stated.

"Then… why won't you talk to me?" I asked in return.

He smiled softly, lowering his head and scratching the back of his neck. "You know, you're just like him… whenever I go quiet, you both think something is wrong."

My brow wrinkled. Was he comparing me to that someone he lost? Or was he just playing with my mind? "What was his name?" I inquired, trying to open a deep conversation with the lycan.

"Jian… Tseng Jian…"

"Jian?" I repeated.

"Yeah," Rui sighed as he fell back into one of the living room chairs and rested his arms behind his head. "Now that I think about it, you both are so much alike. Silver hair, violet eyes… multiple personalities…"

I chuckled, pushing his head to the side. "That was a bit below the belt," I said sarcastically. "So, are you going to answer my question?"

"Hm?"

"Why wouldn't you talk to me back at the movie?"

Rui laughed, his face brightening. "Dude, I love Robert Downing Junior! I was too focused on the movie to really hear you."

My brow twitched.

_So… it was because of the stupid movie? That's… that's something he would say…_

"That Aaron guy… did you know him?"

Rui's face darkened again, a sight tinge of fear in his eyes. "Yeah. He's the one who shipped the lycan community to Japan before we fell asleep. He was a British official who ousted us after Hong Kong was handed over to Britain; right before I was locked away, I attacked him and gave him that scar. I didn't expect to see him again…" Then he raised his head, beaming a smile. "But that's old history; I want to live in the present."

"What about Jian? Do you ever think about him?"

"All the time; but you know what? He told me before he died the most important words I've ever heard in my life."

"What?"

"'Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace'. It's a saying of the Buddha. I'll never forget those simple, yet powerful words… because of Jian."

We stood in silence for a while as I pondered over his words. In a way, Jian had set Rui free; I thanked him for giving the lycan that comfort. For now, he could truly live. I smiled, resting my hand on Rui's shoulder. "It sounds like he was good to you."

He sighed, placing his hand over mine and nodding. "Yeah, he was… but that was the past; he wouldn't want me thinking of him too much; I would bring his soul too much pain."


	17. Chapter 19

_The last chapter! Remember, this is a continuation of the last chapter of Mugen. Warning, adult material. I hope ya'll enjoyed reading, and thank you for the reviews! Tip your waitresses!_

"So, that's pretty much it. About two years after that, Emilia was caught trying to assassinate a popular political figure head and her mafia was disbanded."

Kaname raised his glass of sake, asking, "Who did she try to kill?"

"Obama…"

"Hmm…" he muttered before taking a sip. "So, that's it? That's the end of the story?"

I looked up to the ceiling, thinking over everything I had said. "Uayeah, that's it," I said conclusively. "Well, in that time, Rui bought a lot of porn and shit like that. Whenever Jared and his men would come by to check up on us, we would pop in a DVD and creep out the officers."

"Nothing else happened between you two?"

I furrowed my brow at the question, to which I said, "No. He respected my boundaries; besides, I think I reminded him too much of his past with Jian."

"You know," Kaname sighed as he traced the rim of his sake glass with his fingertip, "drinking the blood of a lycan is a forbidden act. And you nearly slept with one, too…"

I shrugged, setting the empty sake bottle on the coffee table. "Well, what else could I do? I had no way to contact you without the FBI knowing, and I had to relieve my sexual tension somehow," I replied.

A sly smile spread on Kaname's lips. "Excuses, excuses. You know I have to punish you now, right?"

"Yeah, I know," I grunted. "Punish away."

Kaname leaned back on the couch, a wicked grin darkening his face. I could tell the devious bastard had a plan in store for me; exactly what, I didn't know. "Strip," the vampire stated bluntly.

"Strip?"

"Right here, right now. Strip."

I sighed; I was expecting something a little cruel, but oh well. Kicking the coffee table to the side so I would have more room, I stood before Kaname, who coolly stared back. "I'm not cheap, you know," I said as I slowly slid off my over shirt and began to lift up my tank top.

"Well, it's a good thing I won't have to pay; I _own _you," came the sarcastic reply.

Pulling the tank top over my head and tossing it to the side, I couldn't help but chuckle. "How is this punishment? You've seen me naked plenty of times."

"You'll see," Kaname answered. Then he nodded, saying, "The belt?"

I pulled a stripper move, whipping out my belt from my pants' loops, jutting out my hips, and lightly biting my lower lip. Kaname responded with a low growl, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes. Then I slowly pushed my pants down, kicking them to the side and waltzing up to my lover. "I think I need help with these," I breathed, nodding down to my black boxer briefs.

Kaname complied, pulling forward and gripping my square, bony hips tightly. "Are you trying to play your way out of my game?" he asked before lightly nibbling my hip bone.

I grinned. "No; I'm merely playing along," I replied.

Kaname's fingers rubbed deeply into my skin as he slowly pulled down my boxer briefs, a spark of satisfaction brightening his face at the sight of my erection. "You're already hard?" he asked soothingly, rubbing his thumbs along my inner thighs.

A shiver ran through my body at his touch; oh God, how I missed it. "Well, when you do that…" I breathed innocently.

"Good," Kaname said before he suddenly threw me on the couch and leaned over me. "Now's where the punishment begins, Zero-kun. I hope you're prepared."

I half-closed my eyes, saying in a sarcastic tone, "Anything for you, Kaname-sama."

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"… fuck yourself. I want to see you moan and blush at your own hands."

My eyes widened. I rarely masturbated, and that was when I was alone. Only humiliation awaited for me, touching myself before Kaname. "Hey now, that's my private happy fun time," I growled.

"Well, this is _my _'happy fun time', and I want _my _fun," Kaname whispered in my ear. To prove his point, he sat up and stared down at my naked body, waiting for me to act.

"You cocky bastard…" I stated.

With a hesitant sigh, I slowly took hold of my dick, slowly pumping up and down in a fluid-like motion. The rubbing sensation forced my legs to part, slowly but surely, as each movement became faster and faster, and soon I had almost forgotten that Kaname was watching. My hips bucked with each gyration of my hand; I threw my head back, gasping and moaning as I squirmed, itching for release. After moistening two of my fingers, I spread my legs wider and slowly pushed the long digits through my entrance, pulling in and out, stretching and scissoring the muscle inside.

"Are… you… happy now…?" I gasped, glancing up to Kaname.

The vampire narrowed his eyes, saying, "Not yet; I want you to cum."

A whine escaped my throat; with every pump, every gyration, I could feel myself coming closer to my climax. My fingers were slick with pre-cum, my heart racing with arousal, my gut screaming for release. I let out a long moan as I pushed my fingers deeper in, brushing up against the deepest part of me; my hand working my dick became sticky and hot along with the rest of my body. I needed to cum.

"K-kaname…" I rasped, "I'm… cumming…"

"Good," the vampire said as he began to remove his shirt and unbuckle his belt. "I want to hear you scream."

My entire body trembled; the burning sensation pent up in my gut had almost become unbearable. With a desperate cry, I arched my back as white hot juice spurted all over my hand and stomach. My chest heaved with every breath I took; I didn't know I could make myself orgasm like that. I… I kinda liked it.

"Don't get tired out on me," Kaname said as he leaned over my glistening form. "Your punishment has only begun."

I seductively licked my sticky fingers, moaning at the salty taste of my own juices. "What shall you have me do next, Kaname?" I breathed.

The vampire leaned closer to me, his lips dangerously close to my thigh. "For now, nothing," he whispered while massaging his thumb across my weeping tip. I gasped loudly, shoving my fingers through his hair and tilting my head back.

"A-ah…"

Kaname's tongue was like heaven as he left a wet trail along the twitching nerve of my length; his fingers worked relentlessly, pumping and squeezing me until I was hard again. I leaned forward despite the pleasurable numbness in my legs, pushing his loose fitting button down shirt until it slid to the floor. His belt came next, but as soon as I moved for the zipper, he pushed me back and held me firmly in place, a grin on his face. "Don't tease me; this is punishment, not play time," he cooed before returning to his dirty work.

I nearly screamed as two slick fingers pushed into me, followed by a third and a fourth. "God…" Kaname breathed, "even after fingering yourself, you're still so tight."

The wet and sticky fingers squelched with each movement, widening and stretching the muscles further. I tossed my head from side to side, my heart pounding against my chest. "K-kaname!" I cried, "I'm… I'm gonna…"

His fingers withdrew at my pleas, drawing a shocked moan from my throat. Before I could ask what the hell he was doing, Kaname leaned over me, saying, "I can't let you cum; this is a punishment, remember?"

"… don't be a tease…" I growled, pushing Kaname off the couch and onto the floor. By the time he sat up, I was tugging away at his pants and exploring every inch of his lean body with my hands and lips, kissing and sucking his sculpted chest and stomach. "If I remember correctly, you never tried to contact me for three years; shouldn't you be punished for that?" I asked.

Kaname's breath hitched when I spread his legs and took his length in my sticky hand; it was my turn to have control. "Z-zero!" he gasped.

Cold fingers grabbed at my hair as I lowered my mouth onto the twitching cock, feeling his pulse against my tongue. While I pumped his length with one hand, I slowly worked his entrance with the other, slowly pushing my middle finger in and out of the firm opening before slipping in a second. His body shook, his muscles tensing as I pulled and stretched at the tight space inside. "Relax; being on bottom is a lot harder than it looks," I whispered, pulling away to push him on his back.

"I… never said you could… be on top," the vampire below me gasped.

"It's a nice change of pace," I replied sarcastically. "Now, don't get tired out on me."

He chuckled lightly, saying, "Look who's being the cocky bastard now." Then he winced as my fingers spread wide inside him, his arms wrapping tightly around my neck, a mixture of pain and pleasure on his face.

It was an expression I had never seen before.

"This may hurt; are you okay with this?" I asked as I pulled my wet fingers from him and spread his legs wider.

"Yes…" he moaned. "I want you in me…"

I gratefully obliged, carefully guiding my throbbing length until his body's heat and tightness seemed to suck me in. Dark amber eyes closed tight, a muffled cry coming from Kaname's heavenly voice. I paused momentarily, waiting for the wave of pain to pass over his body before continuing on. Inch by inch, I pushed my way in until I was buried to the hilt, my partner below me heaving heavy breaths. "You… okay?" I panted, closing one eye was a drop of sweat fell from my forehead.

Kaname's eyes opened, a lustful spark that I could never refuse glowing brightly. "H-hai…" he moaned.

My thumbs pressed deeper into the crease of his legs and I pulled out slowly and thrust back in, a cry forcing itself from Kaname's throat. This slow, pulsing rhythm continued until I couldn't take it anymore; I _had_ to go faster, for my sake as well as Kaname's. Soon, our hips were moving at a quick and even pace, our chests and stomachs pressing closer as Kaname pulled me down.

"U-aah…!" he cried, muffling his voice in my shoulder.

"Kaname…" I moaned, "I love you… so much…"

"Then… make love to me… as if it would be our last time…"

I smiled to myself; his voice, as muffled as it was, had grown to be another part of me, almost as if we were one. Then I realized the importance of tonight; for the first time in years, neither of us had to worry about Yuuki pulling us apart; I didn't have to think about coming home to see Rui with another partner.

For the first time ever, we could truly be together.

With every thrust, I felt pressure begin to build in my stomach as I neared my climax, but I had to hold on longer; I wouldn't dare let myself succumb before Kaname did. Soon, Kaname craned his head back, his dark hair curling around his glistening face. "Z-zero… I'm cumm-a-aahhh…"

I closed my eyes, tilting my hips slightly and thrusting in deeper than before. A scream rocked Kaname's body, his eyes wide with shock and mouth gaping. I took this opportunity to claim his mouth, his moans vibrating my tongue and throat. Our tongues meshed together, the mixture of our saliva moistening my lips, all while I repeatedly pounded into my lover's body. Finally, Kaname broke our kiss, his eyes wide as his back arched and muscles tensed. Hot fluids squelched between our glistening stomachs, the friction between our sweaty skins becoming more bearable. A few thrusts later, I too gasped as my own climax shook my body; exhausted, I fell forward, my head resting on Kaname's heaving chest.

We lay like that for a while, catching our breaths as our hearts beat as one. Once my breaths caught up to my thumping heart, I slowly pulled out of my lover's tired body, reaching down to brush aside the sweat soaked hair that clung to his face. "We… should do this more often…" I breathed.

Kaname smiled weakly, his face pale from exhaustion. "Zero… do you know… how much I love you?"

I closed my eyes and chuckled softly. "How much?" I asked. When he didn't answer, I opened my eyes to see that he had fallen asleep. I slowly lowered myself, our chests pressed together and my lips hovering above his. "You don't have to tell me; I already know…" I whispered before softly pressing my lips to his.

And thus, our story ends with a kiss.


End file.
